Varios
Crónicas de Great Brook Valley
Last year, students in Spanish 366, Creative Writing in Spanish, spent time with residents of Great Brook Valley, a public housing development in Worcester, to learn and write about their experiences during riots that broke out there in 1979. The course brings together a wide variety of students—from different fields and diverse backgrounds—all drawn by the desire to read, write, and share stories in Spanish. In class, they break texts apart to see what makes them compelling: what makes a strong character, powerful narrative tension, a distinct point of view. But they also know the best stories exist beyond the classroom—that true creative writing is much more than a craft practiced within the tranquil realm of a library, a dorm room, a college campus.
The class partnered with the Latino History Project of Worcester, an organization dedicated to documenting and sharing the unheard stories of the Latino community in the region. Teamed with LHP interviewer Leo Negrón Cruz, students were fortunate to visit Latino activists who had been involved, directly or obliquely, in the Great Brook Valley riots of 1979.
The clashes occurred in a neighborhood deeply tied to Latinx history in Worcester. Curtis Apartments opened in 1951 with the goal of providing affordable housing to World War II veterans. Great Brook Valley (GBV) Gardens opened two years later, as a destination for both veterans and low-income non-veterans. The two complexes are often grouped together under the GBV rubric. In April 1978 Worcester Housing Authority (WHA) established a special police force specifically for the Valley. Tensions with GBV residents, a majority of whom were under 18 years of age, soon led to a protest rally in April 1979 outside the WHA headquarters, followed by a fight between WHA officers and Latino youth on May 28. In response, a citizen panel was commissioned by the Worcester City Council to look into violence at GBV and accusations of police harassment.
On June 21, 1979, a 21-year-old WHA police officer, Hiram Estremera, shot and killed 28-year-old Ángel Allende-Mojica, while the latter was in custody, handcuffed in the back seat of his police vehicle. As the news spread, protestors in GBV surrounded the WHA police station, throwing bottles and rocks and ultimately setting the building on fire. Reinforcements from the Worcester Police Department were called in; it took 250 officers in full riot gear to disperse a crowd of about 400-500 protestors. Three days later, a funeral procession and memorial for Allende-Mojica drew over a thousand people. By the end of the month a new tenant’s association—Valley Residents for Improvement (VRI)—was formed to give a voice to tenants previously denied participation in WHA decisions. Also in 1979, the city’s Human Rights Commission began to co-sponsor an annual Puerto Rican Week.
Students were welcomed into the homes of some of the tenacious and insightful individuals who have lived their lives in Great Brook Valley. They gathered to hear stories about the residents’ arrival to the U.S., their initial impressions of Worcester, and the tragic events of 1979. Writing is never only writing: it is also an exercise in listening. The following profiles bring to life the stories that Julie, Freddy, and Carmen were generous enough to share.
The photos that accompany the texts are from the archives of the Worcester Telegram and Gazette, and appear courtesy of The Latino History Project of Worcester and Worcester Historical Museum.
Rodrigo Fuentes & Cynthia Stone, Spanish
Crónicas de Great Brook Valley
Last year, students in Spanish 366, Creative Writing in Spanish, spent time with residents of Great Brook Valley, a public housing development in Worcester, to learn and write about their experiences during riots that broke out there in 1979. The course brings together a wide variety of students—from different fields and diverse backgrounds—all drawn by the desire to read, write, and share stories in Spanish. In class, they break texts apart to see what makes them compelling: what makes a strong character, powerful narrative tension, a distinct point of view. But they also know the best stories exist beyond the classroom—that true creative writing is much more than a craft practiced within the tranquil realm of a library, a dorm room, a college campus.
The class partnered with the Latino History Project of Worcester, an organization dedicated to documenting and sharing the unheard stories of the Latino community in the region. Teamed with LHP interviewer Leo Negrón Cruz, students were fortunate to visit Latino activists who had been involved, directly or obliquely, in the Great Brook Valley riots of 1979.
The clashes occurred in a neighborhood deeply tied to Latinx history in Worcester. Curtis Apartments opened in 1951 with the goal of providing affordable housing to World War II veterans. Great Brook Valley (GBV) Gardens opened two years later, as a destination for both veterans and low-income non-veterans. The two complexes are often grouped together under the GBV rubric. In April 1978 Worcester Housing Authority (WHA) established a special police force specifically for the Valley. Tensions with GBV residents, a majority of whom were under 18 years of age, soon led to a protest rally in April 1979 outside the WHA headquarters, followed by a fight between WHA officers and Latino youth on May 28. In response, a citizen panel was commissioned by the Worcester City Council to look into violence at GBV and accusations of police harassment.
On June 21, 1979, a 21-year-old WHA police officer, Hiram Estremera, shot and killed 28-year-old Ángel Allende-Mojica, while the latter was in custody, handcuffed in the back seat of his police vehicle. As the news spread, protestors in GBV surrounded the WHA police station, throwing bottles and rocks and ultimately setting the building on fire. Reinforcements from the Worcester Police Department were called in; it took 250 officers in full riot gear to disperse a crowd of about 400-500 protestors. Three days later, a funeral procession and memorial for Allende-Mojica drew over a thousand people. By the end of the month a new tenant’s association—Valley Residents for Improvement (VRI)—was formed to give a voice to tenants previously denied participation in WHA decisions. Also in 1979, the city’s Human Rights Commission began to co-sponsor an annual Puerto Rican Week.
Students were welcomed into the homes of some of the tenacious and insightful individuals who have lived their lives in Great Brook Valley. They gathered to hear stories about the residents’ arrival to the U.S., their initial impressions of Worcester, and the tragic events of 1979. Writing is never only writing: it is also an exercise in listening. The following profiles bring to life the stories that Julie, Freddy, and Carmen were generous enough to share.
The photos that accompany the texts are from the archives of the Worcester Telegram and Gazette, and appear courtesy of The Latino History Project of Worcester and Worcester Historical Museum.